Frequency Stabilization of a Microsecond Pulse Sodium Guide Star Laser with a Tilt- and Temperature-Tuned Etalon**Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 61275157 and 61475040, the National Instrumentation Program of China under Grant No 2012YQ120048, and the National Development Project for Major Scientific Research Facility under Grant No ZDYZ2012-2.

Abstract

A frequency stabilization approach is introduced for the microsecond pulse sodium beacon laser using an intracavity tilt- and temperature-tuned etalon based on a computer-controlled feedback system connected with a fast high-precision wavelength meter. The frequency stability of the sodium beacon lasers is compared with and without feedback loop controlling. The output wavelength of the laser is locked to the sodium D absorption line (589.159 nm) over 12 h with the feedback loop controlling technology. As a result, the sodium laser guide star is successfully observed by the telescope of National Astronomical Observatories at Xinglong. This approach can also be used for other pulses and continuous-wave lasers for the frequency stabilization.